Support thread for moms waiting it out

sometimes I feel like I'm going insane just not knowing if my little one has DS or not. ï¿½As much as I want to know either way for sure, I can't risk it with an amnio, as we went through SO much just to get pregnant. ï¿½I can't even go on the due date boards anymore, because I feel like my worries/concerns are so different than theirs and it's hard to relate to. ï¿½Is anyone else waiting out a DS dx until birth and needs some company? ï¿½I sure could use some!

Hi all: I just realized I never updated my post. Our LO had short femurs throughout the entire pregnancy and my bloodwork showed an increased chance for DS. She was born with typical chromosones, which we didn't find out until she was born. Now, she is just a tiny peanut, but doing great. Also...I just found out I'm pregnant again- a huge surprise! We went through infertility for 14 months to conceive our first LO and were told we'd never conceive naturally...so this was absolutely a shock!

Anyways, it seems like yesterday I was going crazy with the "not knowing". Waiting it out is so difficult. Thinking of you all- thank you so much to everyone on here who offered me so much support as I, too, waited it out. xoxo

I just registered in order to contribute to this post. Back in November of 2011 I was expecting my 2nd child. At 12 weeks I had the NT scan, where baby's NT measured 3.2. Combined with my bloodwork I was given a 1:11 chance of my baby having DS, and I'm only 27 years old! I thought it was going to be a for sure thing with odds like that. We decided not to have the amnio done for various reasons, and my OB office did not offer the Materni21, so we waited it out for almost 6 months. Every growth scan I had showed no soft markers or abnormalities, but as I learned here, that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

My whole pregnancy I never could quite relax and always had that "what if" in the back of my mind. I scoured the internet, including this board, for women who had similar odds to mine to see what their outcomes were. We waited to have a delivery surprise, and on May 14th our son was born at 38w 5d gestation with typical chromosomes, without DS. I was honestly a little shocked because I had such dismal odds, but I feel compelled to thank everyone here and on this board for all of the wonderful stories and information. I spent so many months lurking around this board, I felt a part of it. The one thing I learned and will take away from all of this is that no matter what your odds are, you will never truly know for sure unless you get the diagnostic testing; even women with 1:10,000 odds can have babies with DS. I am never getting the NT scan again!

I also recently registered just for this board. I'm 25 years old and we are waiting it out with our first baby, a boy, due August 5th. Baby has 3 soft markers (pericardial effusion, shortened femur, and enlarged tongue). I wasn't handling it too well when we first found out, but we are slowly preparing, and are beginning to accept our beautiful baby boy whether he's got typical chromosomes or an extra special one. This board and the wonderul ladies here have helped me SO much. We can't wait to meet our son!!!

congrats to all whom have had their babies.. and best of luck on smooth deliveries to the rest of us. I am 32 weeks along with my 2nd child, a BOY! my NT scan showed a nuchal fold of 3.6 mm. Giving me 1:12 chance of baby boy having DS. I did not have amnio and as the day approaches I am just eager to meet him!!!! I love this little boy so much already it hurts!

I had my baby on April 25th. He is a beautiful boy! He has typical chromosomes. He will be two months old tomorrow and we are having such a wonderful summer and enjoying getting to know the little person that he is! He is such a talker. He is also super short one of our markers were long bones in the 2% and his head measuring 3 weeks ahead. His head is proportionate to his body but he was born at only 18 and 1/4" long!! His daddy is short though too I beat him by an inch! So glad to see everyones updates and waiting for more!

I am so happy to find this board. One month ago, I got "the" call in the parking lot at Hobby Lobby. I left my son in his stroller (thankfully my sister-in-law was there) and I sat in the front seat of the car, trying to soak in what the doctor was telling me: "your quad screen results indicate a screen positive for down syndrome". I found out my odds were 1/75, extremely high for someone who is 29. Since then we met with a genetics counselor. In the session, I completely broke down when she wrote the number "98.5" and said, "I want you to focus on this number. It is the likelihood that your baby does not have Down Syndrome". Until then, all I considered was that she did (although we didn't know she was a she at the time). We then had the level II ultrasound which showed no soft markers and decided not to do an amnio. We have considered MaterniT21, but to be honest, at this point I am freaked out to do any more tests and have to wait for a diagnosis. I know it sounds silly, but I am almost more comfortable with waiting out the pregnancy than waiting those 8-10 days. Weird. Our chances are now 1/150. My husband believes all is well, and I want to. I fluctuate from not thinking about it at all, to obsessing all day. I read some similar feelings in here about this. It is like this constant shadow of "what if" follows me and I am not sure if I want to push it away to avoid the anxiety or if I want to embrace it to prepare myself and provide the best opportunity for my little girl if she does have Down Syndrome. I know I will love her regardless, and it is extremely comforting to read the comments from moms on here who do have children with Down Syndrome. It is just so hard to consider that your child might not be set up with all that they need to succeed, to think that your child might be different, looked down upon, made fun of... And there I go. Off on that dark cloud thinking route. I have to pull it together for my son (2) and my husband, but it can be so hard sometimes. I am a school psychologist, so I have been on the other side of things, and while I want to say educators are full of compassion, I know I will have to fight for her if she has Down Syndrome. We will know for sure in November, when she is born, and until then I am trying to spend my time nesting instead of obsessing :). Also, for those of you also waiting it out, I read something that had helped me process this all: simply that every child is independent from their DNA in so many ways. They are more than just a compilation of chromosomes, be it one extra or not. I believe God will see me through it all, and another great little word of advice that I am trying to take myself, is "if you are in a train going though a tunnel, you don't jump off. You just trust that the light will come soon. There is nothing else to do but trust". Some comforting words to me and I hope they are to you. Looking forward to hearing all of your updates! And I will certainly keep you posted on mine.

Hey everyone, just thought I'd update...I am scheduled for induction on the 29th, in just two weeks! I'll be 39 weeks. We've come a long way since finding out about his DS risk in my second trimester and although we are still scared and overwhelmed, we're just ready to welcome him to our family with loving open arms and kiss his sweet face. To refresh anyone's memory we have 3 markers (pericardial effusion-no heart defect was found on the echo, shortened femurs and tongue thrusting) and he is measuring smaller. Almost here though, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers...I'm really nervous about giving birth as this is our first LO :)

hello i resently had an amnio im 41 an was told my baby will have DS i really dont know how to feel this little guy will be my first boy i have three girls ive decided to wait it out an see what the out come will be im told by on dr its all bad by another that its not so bad i feeling real confused i glad i found thid site it had helped me alot